THE MUSIC ISSUE

of
A Festival
Creativity
With a theme of “connection,” deTour, one of the most
exciting events on Hong Kong’s cultural calendar is back
again, this year setting out to build not only a platform
for international and interdisciplinary cultural exchanges,
but also to embody the creativity, progressiveness and
impermanence of “temporary stage.”
Shin Wong, first-time curator of this year’s deTour,
a ten-day festival of innovation, says that the origins
of the event bear little resemblance to the celebration
of the creative arts it has become today.
“It actually started as a simple map, nine or 10 years
ago,” she laughs. “It was created by several designers,
and showed where Hong Kong’s creative hubs were.
That was it!”
However, over the next five or six years, events
gradually started springing up around the annual
release of the map. And in recent years as it continued
to evolve, organizers have been keen to encourage
the participation of not only the arts and creative
communities but also the general public.
“As deTour became bigger the intention was to
become more approachable to local people,” Wong
insists. “We wanted to reach out even more, not just
to the creative industry, but for everyone. There’s more
than just banking here–there’s a community of creative
people!”
In line with this more inclusive philosophy,
for the first time a Chinese name has been conceived
for the event. “We felt there was a lack of Chinese
representation–something missing, a gap between
the Hong Kong public and the event. Part of the new
Chinese name means “shed”, but in the sense of the
traditional temporary bamboo scaffolding erections that
can be put up very quickly but are still incredibly stable.
“As well as this, these constructions were
traditionally used for cultural events such as Chinese
opera, and so are representative of our culture on
several levels.”
In previous years there were issues to find venues
large enough to house the growing deTour, but after it
was successfully hosted at PMQ last year, the decision
was made to stay at its new home.
The space has also enabled the event to evolve,
and Wong believes that in addition to entertainment,
its role is increasingly educational.
“As curator we look to find programs that not
only focus on and introduce new technology, which
is a big angle for us, but are also educational. It’s not
only about arts and designers. It’s about providing a
perspective to the public about new creativity.”
This year deTour is reaching out to the local
community through satellite events being held
in Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po, eliminating the
“unnecessary distance” between local communities
and creative education. “We’re really hoping the local
community can support us to make the event bigger and
bigger!” enthuses Wong.
“People often think art, or new media is too avantgarde.
But what we are offering is tangible, not remote
or distant. It’s supposed to make you think and have fun.
There will be eco-workshops and pop-up exhibitions,
things that hopefully children will love. We’re expecting
30 or 40 things to be happening at the same time!”
Design Dialogue
Design Dialogue is a way to bring design thinking to
the forefront. Involving a selected number of designers
from different fields and a range of expertise, it hopes to
engage the public into discussing the context of design
in our society and the ways it informs our future.
Talk! 2015 – aimed at a professional audience,
Talk! 2015 will present a-round-the-globe view of
British Design. Speakers will present their views on
British Design and address questions and challenges.
Conducted in English, and hosted by John Ho,
an entrepreneur within the anti-aging industry and
broadcaster of a live streaming app, panelists include
senior design thoughtmakers.
Food vs Poverty, conducted in English and Cantonese,
looks at high food prices and how this affects the types
and quantity of food available to people below the
poverty line. Presented by The Poverty Line founder
Stefen Chow and Hui-yi Lin, Food Angel representative,
it is aimed at a family audience.
The Importance of Creativity in Education
for Children’s Wellbeing, presented in English and
Cantonese, is conducted by Sum Chan and Judith Lau,
two teachers from The Sovereign Art Foundation’s Make
It Better project, together with project director Alexandra
McMullen. They will share their experiences and unique
insights about the importance of creativity in education,
and what its implications are on a child’s emotional
understanding and ability to engage proactively with
the wider community.
Brick by brick – Fostering Young Creativity Through
Playing Well, is aimed at children and teenagers in
English and Cantonese, and will see Andy Hung, the
first and only LEGO Certified Professional in the Greater
China region, exhibit some of the most popular LEGO
works at deTour 2015. Through sharing of his LEGO
experiences all around the world, Hung will discuss the
true value behind LEGO, and what it could mean for
nurturing children’s creativity.
STAR WARS: Design Elements and Inspirations
is presented in Cantonese in association with Star Wars
Hong Kong fans’ page. It looks at how the influence
of Star Wars has reached far beyond the silver screen
and shaped the course of popular culture for decades,
including its visual elements, the modern myth, and
how it blended the east and the west into something
that captivated three generations of audience.
Workshops
Creative Music Workshop is aimed at families
in Cantonese and English and offers participants the
chance to experience real-time songwriting. Two native
musicians will host this workshop and co-create songs
together with participants. At the end participants will
enjoy the immediate performance of the songs.
Green B Urban Farming + Upcycle Planter Workshop
is a family presentation in Cantonese and English aimed
at letting children aged 4-7 experience how vegetables
are grown in order to encourage them to value their
food. In this workshop, children will learn about the
basics of organic farming.
Porcelain Christmas is a workshop aimed at
families, in Cantonese and English, giving participants
the opportunity to experience ceramic art. Artists will
teach participants to use molding techniques, along
with cutting, combining and color painting skills,
to create ceramic Christmas ornaments of different
sizes and shapes.